Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Had my first game against Tau today with my Eldar. Both me and my opponent were playing relatively friendly lists (lots of proxy models for the Tau player), apart from his R'Varna. We played Maelstrom, and although I ended up winning (mostly due to poor objective placement by my opponent) we still both had fun. I ended up learning a lot about the strengths and weaknesses of the Tau.

Major Tau Weaknesses:

Reliance on markerlight support. Kill the markerlights and they shoot as well as IG or Tyranids, without those armies benefits of ROF.
Melee; even the units more effective in CC can't even get out of being locked in combat with a dedicated CC character/unit.
Leadership is the biggest weakness of the Tau. Force leadership checks and units will start running away/off the board, and become even easier to kill in melee.

Other takeaways:
Broadsides are more threatening than a Hammerhead, but less survivable.
Riptides are ridiculously durable, especially with FNP.
Tau need transports and mobility in 7th edition, especially in Maelstrom. Tau infantry are too vulnerable outside of a transport.
Deep-Striking Crisis Suits are great units, especially for taking backfield objectives.

Does anyone else have any thoughts/general strategies for dealing with Tau?

Killing the markerlights has always been priority #1 for me when facing tau. Kick out those support units and the army as a whole becomes a lot easier to deal with. That and managing their guns. If you have access to defensive grenades THROW THE CRAP OUT OF THEM

Kill the markerlights and Tau becomes a loer-mid tier army due to only being BS3.

Ignore Riptides unless you have Psychic Shriek or Grav guns/cannons.

Everything else is pretty simple.